29 April - Ulysses Club Ride to Dargo

Hadn't done a Ulysses ride for a while. The weather forecast looked good and the destination was Dargo so off we went at 09:30 this morning. There were about 10 bikes with a number carrying pillion passengers. Morning coffee at Stratford and then into the high country. The temperature briefly dropped to 10 degC in the mountains but the fine weather held out. Lunch at Dargo was enjoyed by all and a real bonus was a bag of freshly harvested walnuts from the general store. The return trip was a bit longer with a diversion through Lindenow Sth and Meerlieu and then back through Stratford where most of the bikes needed a fuel stop and from here the final hop to Traralgon for a recap of the days events. The Beemer performed faultlessly and I was pleasantly surprised that I still had plenty of fuel left after this long ride, a lot of it through mountain country. On a flat road the fuel range of the bike is well in excess of 400 km.

Total Distance 366 km.

27 April - Cowes, Philip Island

Weather looked a bit bleak this morning but the radar gave the all clear. I've just received my AirHawk seat and wanted to try it out on a longish ride. Strapped it on the seat of the Beemer and off we went via Mirboo North, Leongatha, Inverloch and Wonthaggi. It started of pretty windy but by the time I got to the coast it was sunny and quite calm. The trick with the AirHawk is minimal inflation and I had to stop a couple of times to let air out. Correctly inflated it works very well and it will definitely prevent 'numb bum' on the longer rides. Had lunch at Gulliver's in Cowes and checked out Biker's Gear before heading back through Archies Creek and Korumburra. Coffee and apricot slice at the bakery there and then home. Somehow managed to avoid rain all day.

Total Distance 320 km.

21 April - Melbourne

Rode down to Melbourne to pick up a couple of bits for the BMW. The first was a replacement panel. When I first got the bike home and removed the panniers I noticed one panel was quite badly scratched. Picked up the new one and installed it as soon as I got home - much better.

Also picked up an aluminium 'bash plate' which on my bike is an optional extra. This device protects the bottom of the engine from impacts from rock, sticks etc. particularly when riding of road. A bit fiddly to fit but managed it in the end.

Apart from getting the bits I wanted it was also a very pleasant ride with sunny weather most of the way.

Total Distance 320 km.

18 April - Strzeleckis and Sth Gippsland Highway

A beautiful day and an opportunity to gain more experience on the BMW. Repeated one of my favourite trips. Lunch at Mirboo Nth, down to Meenyian and then along the Sth Gippsland Highway to Yarram and home through Gormandale. Still getting used to the Beemer but once again it performed faultlessly.

Total Distance 229 km.

13 April - Around the Strzelecki's

After a bout of poor riding weather, Friday promised to be a great day. Headed off around noon to Mirboo Nth, Leongatha and then lunch at the bakery in Korumburra - great as usual. The return trip was along the Korumburra/Warragul Rd and returned along the highway.

Total Distance 191 km.

5 April - Licola on Beemer

Took the Beemer for a quick run to Licola at about noon. Despite early cloud, the afternoon turned into a brilliant day for riding. Unlike previous trips the road was full of holiday makers getting an early start for Easter. The caravan parks and camping grounds along the McAllister river were filling up rapidly and even Licola was quite busy. The BMW just ate up the hills - everything is effortless on this bike, even potholes and bumps in the road don't seem to bother it much. Also tried it out on some dirt roads and that's definitely an area for skill development. Once I find a suitable one I'll probably do an 'off-road' riding course.

Total Distance 190 km.

1 April - Walhalla and Beyond

After bacon and egg sandwiches for breakfast this morning, and a couple of odd jobs, it occurred to me that I really needed more time on the Beemer. Zane joined me on his KLX for a quick ride, and a coffee, to Walhalla. Riding the F650GS is quite a thrill. It is such an agile and powerful machine that it almost seems that in order to do something, you just need to 'think' it. It has a great number of features (such as ABS brakes for example) but the one that I have found most useful so far is auto cancelling indicators. One of my most consistent failings on bikes to date has been to forget to turn off the blinkers. Anyway, we reached Walhalla in short order and in no time we were enjoying our cafe lattes. The weather was still OK at this stage so we decided to take a run to the Thomson Dam wall. From there to Rawson for fuel for the KLX and then on to Trafalgar via Willow Grove. At this stage my fuel gauge was still showing one third full - after some 350km - but I thought it prudent to fill it anyway.

From Trafalgar we headed up the hill to Thorpdale before finally turning towards home via Yinnar. The Beemer and I are starting to develop a working relationship.

Total Distance 220 km.